pc

AMD cut its Q2 outlook sharply on weaker-than-expected demand for its APU products. The company has no significant debt due until 2019 but it’s increasingly clear that everything depends on 2016 and its upcoming Zen CPU.

Steam’s new refund system has only been in effect for a few weeks but it may have already sent a shockwave through game distribution. WB Interactive’s decision to pull the PC version of Arkham Knight is nearly unprecedented for a AAA title, and refund-seeking gamers may have driven the trend.

Steam, one of the sole bastions of sanity when it comes to digital games distribution, has enabled region locking on games. This means if you buy a game in one territory, you can no longer use it in another territory — much like DVD region locking (but more effective, as Steam’s region locking hasn’t been cracked). While this might look like oppressive behavior by Valve, there’s actually a very good reason behind the locks: Unstable currencies, like the Russian ruble, caused by the crashing price of crude oil. Or maybe Valve (and publishers) are just sick of people buying games cheaply in other territories, then redeeming them in their (more expensive) home countries.

I grew up on the classic Lucas adventure games, and so I was pleased as Punch to see that Ron Gilbert was teaming up with Maniac Mansion co-creator Gary Winnick to make an all-new adventure that looks and plays like a game made back in 1987. I immediately tossed my $20 towards the project, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I wanted to know more about the process of making an old-fashioned game with new tools, so I asked Ron for an interview, and here we are. Today, Professor Gilbert is here to drop some science on all of us.

Every year, our smartphones get more and more powerful. These handheld computers certainly aren’t going to compete head-to-head with a PS4 or a high-end gaming PC, but they pack more than enough horsepower to run a full-fledged desktop computing experience. But can your smartphone really replace your desktop? That’s exactly what this Kickstarter project aims to do.

An upcoming version of the Windows 10 Technical Preview has leaked, and it has some really, really big changes. Most notably, it looks like the original Control Panel might be going away, replaced by the new Metro-style PC Settings app — and, somewhat oddly, it looks like you’ll be able to buy Xbox One apps from the Windows 10 app store. There are also lots of changes to the UI, and a general downplaying of Metro. All in all, Windows 10 is looking very nice indeed.

Microsoft’s preview event for Windows 10 is coming in late January and the company is expected to unveil a host of changes to both mobile and desktop environments. Will fixing the sins of Windows 8 be enough to tempt buyers?